Vehicular-to-Everything (V2X) communications are foundational to next-generation intelligent transportation systems, but the open wireless medium makes them highly susceptible to eavesdropping. Unauthorized interception of V2X messages poses a threat to vehicle and passenger privacy and can facilitate more severe cyber-physical attacks. With the looming threat of quantum computers that can break current public-key cryptography, securing the key exchange process is paramount. We propose a focused framework that leverages Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution (CV-QKD) to provide information-theoretic security for key exchange in V2X networks. In our approach, On-Board Units (OBUs) and Roadside Units (RSUs) are equipped with CV-QKD transceivers that establish symmetric keys for secure communication. The security is rooted in the principles of quantum mechanics, where any attempt by an eavesdropper to intercept the quantum signal inevitably creates detectable disturbances, revealing their presence. We designed and simulated a CV-QKD protocol based on Gaussian-modulated coherent states (GMCS), evaluating its performance under realistic V2X channel conditions. Our results demonstrate accurate, real-time estimation of channel parameters (transmittance and excess noise) and the generation of a positive secure key rate over typical vehicular communication distances. This framework offers a robust, physics-based solution to protect V2X communications against both current and future eavesdropping threats.
Vehicular-to-Everything (V2X) communications are foundational to next-generation intelligent transportation systems, but the open wireless medium makes them highly susceptible to eavesdropping. Unauthorized interception of V2X messages poses a threat to vehicle and passenger privacy and can facilitate more severe cyber-physical attacks. With the looming threat of quantum computers that can break current public-key cryptography, securing the key exchange process is paramount. We propose a focused framework that leverages Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution (CV-QKD) to provide information-theoretic security for key exchange in V2X networks. In our approach, On-Board Units (OBUs) and Roadside Units (RSUs) are equipped with CV-QKD transceivers that establish symmetric keys for secure communication. The security is rooted in the principles of quantum mechanics, where any attempt by an eavesdropper to intercept the quantum signal inevitably creates detectable disturbances, revealing their presence. We designed and simulated a CV-QKD protocol based on Gaussian-modulated coherent states (GMCS), evaluating its performance under realistic V2X channel conditions. Our results demonstrate accurate, real-time estimation of channel parameters (transmittance and excess noise) and the generation of a positive secure key rate over typical vehicular communication distances. This framework offers a robust, physics-based solution to protect V2X communications against both current and future eavesdropping threats.
Vehicular-to-Everything (V2X) communications promise unprecedented safety and efficiency gains but remain vulnerable to confidentiality breaches such as eavesdropping, traffic analysis, and man-in-the-middle attacks. We propose ConfidSPEC-V2X, a focused hybrid framework that integrates continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD), a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning (DRL), and an Ethereum-based permissioned blockchainPureChainpublic-key infrastructure (PKI) to deliver information-theoretic secrecy, dynamic traffic obfuscation, and tamper-proof key management. In the quantum module, CV-QKD transceivers embedded in On-Board Units (OBUs) and Roadside Units (RSUs) establish symmetric keys resilient to passive interception and capable of immediate eavesdropping detection. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) module employs multi-agent DRL agents at RSUs to learn optimal dummy-traffic injection policies that obfuscate real V2X message patterns against statistical inference. The blockchain module leverages PureChain smart contracts to register, rotate, and timestamp vehicle public keys, ensuring that any man-in-the-middle attempt to forge or replay keys is invalidated. We implement and evaluate ConfidSPEC-V2X within an OMNeT++/Veins simulation under realistic urban mobility scenarios, measuring the quantum bit error rate, key generation throughput, obfuscation entropy, and key management latency. Results demonstrate that our framework achieves robust confidentiality protection with minimal performance overhead.
Secure communication is crucial for intelligent infrastructure networks, especially in the field of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Real-time information ex change between vehicles is the cornerstone of traffic safety and intelligent decision making. However, existing V2X communication systems primarily rely on classical cryptographic security mechanisms, while the rapid development of quantum com puting fundamentally threatens their security guarantees. Quantum key distribu tion (QKD), based on the no-cloning principle of quantum mechanics, is considered a promising technology against quantum attacks. However, most existing studies focus on theoretical security analysis or static fiber optic transmission scenarios, lacking systematic evaluation of the complete QKD protocol workflow in highly dynamic V2X environments. To fill research gaps, this thesis constructs a vehicle-to-vehicle quantum key distribution (V2V-QKD) framework based on the Veins simulation platform, integrated with OMNeT++ and SUMO. The framework implements qubit preparation and trans mission, measurement, quantum bit error rate (QBER) estimation, error correction, and privacy amplification, aiming to evaluate the feasibility and robustness of QKD in dynamic V2V communication scenarios. This thesis designs two sets of experiments. The first set of experiments evaluates parameter robustness by varying the number of qubits transmitted in a single session and analyzing its impact on quantum error rate (QBER), final key length, and key generation rate. Experimental results show that when 𝑁raw = 800, the system achieves a favorable balance between QBER estimation stability and key generation reliability. The second set of experiments compares the performance of BB84 and SARG04 under gradually increasing eavesdropping and attack intensity. Results show that under no eavesdropping conditions, BB84 can stably generate longer keys, but its performance degrades significantly under attacks; while SARG04 generates shorter keys under ideal conditions, but remains relatively stable under increased attack interference. Comprehensive results demonstrate that, under optimized configuration, QKD can provide stable and secure key generation for V2V communication. Furthermore, an adaptive protocol selection strategy enhances system-level security resilience. This thesis verifies the feasibility of QKD in vehicular network environments and provides an experimental foundation and design reference for secure vehicular communication systems capable of withstanding quantum-era threats.
Future global quantum communication networks, or quantum internet, will realize high-rate secure communication and entanglement distribution for large-scale users over long distances. Continuous variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a powerful setting for secure quantum communications, thanks to the use of room-temperature off-the-shelf optical devices and the potential to reach high rates. However, the achievable performance of CV-QKD protocols is fundamentally limited by the fact that they appear to be fragile to both loss and noise. In this study, we provide a general framework for analyzing the composable finite-size security of CV-QKD with Gaussian-modulated coherent-state (GMCS) protocol under various levels of trust for the loss and noise experienced by the users of the protocol. Our work is comprehensive of several practical scenarios, encompassing both active and passive eavesdropping configurations, with both wired (i.e., fiber-based) and wireless (i.e., free-space and satellite-based) quantum communication channels. Our numerical results evaluate the robustness of the GMCS protocol under varying levels of trust and demonstrate that it is difficult for a practical protocol to remain robust against untrusted loss at the transmitter. In the wireless case, we analyze a scenario with a sun-synchronous satellite, showing that its key distribution rate, even with the worst level of trust, can outperform a ground chain of ideal quantum repeaters. Our results indicate that—when it comes to engineering and optimizing quantum-safe networks—it is essential to mitigate the shortcomings caused by critical trade-offs between rate performance, trust level, system noise, and communication distance.
Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication is a critical enabler of autonomous driving, supporting real-time information exchange among vehicles, roadside infrastructure, pedestrians, and cloud services. However, the security of current V2X systems largely relies on classical cryptographic mechanisms, which are expected to become vulnerable in the presence of large-scale quantum computers. Given the long operational lifespan and stringent safety requirements of autonomous vehicular networks, the transition toward quantum-resistant authentication and key management mechanisms has become increasingly important. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of post-quantum Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) protocols for secure V2X communications. The survey systematically reviews V2X communication architectures, security and privacy requirements, existing authentication frameworks, and emerging post-quantum cryptographic approaches. Representative AKA schemes and NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms are comparatively analyzed in terms of security strength, computational complexity, communication overhead, storage requirements, scalability, and deployment suitability for resource-constrained vehicular environments. The survey further examines practical implementation challenges, including latency constraints, bandwidth limitations, signature size expansion, memory consumption, and hardware resource requirements. The analysis reveals that achieving quantum-resistant security in V2X networks requires balancing strong cryptographic protection with the stringent performance demands of safety-critical vehicular applications. While recent post-quantum approaches offer promising security guarantees against quantum adversaries, their practical deployment remains constrained by computational and communication overhead. Finally, this survey identifies key research gaps and outlines future directions for the development of lightweight, scalable, and quantum-resilient AKA frameworks capable of supporting next-generation autonomous transportation systems. The findings provide researchers and practitioners with a structured understanding of the opportunities, limitations, and challenges associated with securing future V2X communications in the quantum era.
Advances in quantum computing present a critical challenge to current public-key cryptography, posing significant risks to the infrastructure of smart cities and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). This paper proposes QuanReS, a hybrid framework that integrates Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with classical infrastructure to deliver quantum-resistant security for Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications. We propose an SDN-based control layer that intelligently manages cryptographic resources by dynamically allocating secure QKD keys to protect high-sensitivity data in V2X communications, while employing post-quantum cryptographic schemes for less critical traffic. Through a comprehensive simulation for ITS applications, we demonstrate that this hybrid approach preserves the low-latency and high-throughput requirements essential for consumer electronics and real-time control systems, while ensuring strong pritection against quantum-enabled attacks. The results demonstrate that QuanReS achieves an effective balance between quantum resilience and practical deployment constraints, providing a scalable architectural framework for securing next-generation urban infrastructures.
Abstract Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides secure communication using quantum mechanics, with continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD) being an attractive solution due to its compatibility with existing telecommunication technology. Its main drawback is susceptibility to signal loss in fibres and free-space links, including satellites, which limits performance. Here we show a software-based protocol enhancing CV-QKD by applying adaptive filters at the transmitter and receiver, allowing the system to dynamically respond to changing channel conditions. Our security analysis avoids relying on Gaussian extremality, giving accurate bounds on an eavesdropper’s information. The protocol can also extract keys in regions that would normally be considered insecure. We demonstrate a threefold increase in secret-key rates compared with the best existing CV-QKD protocol, and in satellite simulations, up to a 400-fold improvement. Because it requires no hardware modifications, our method can be readily integrated into existing systems, paving the way for more practical and robust quantum communication networks.